This image provided by Riverside County Animal Services shows an Animal Services officer holding a 5-foot long black-throated monitor lizard that animal control officers found wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside, Calif., Tuesday.

The reptile turned out to be a five-foot long monitor lizard, a genus that is native to vast areas across Africa, Asia, and Australia. This particular species of black-throated lizard is native to southern Africa (which is probably fortunate, as South Africa is the only nuclear power that denies having conducted nuclear tests).

Most monitor lizards are carnivores that hunt live prey. Members of this genus are also highly intelligent, at least for reptiles. One study of white-throated monitors found that the lizards are able to count to six.

Monitor lizards are legal to keep as pets in California. The animal control officers speculate that this particular lizard escaped from its owner's home.

Selter was able to capture the monitor lizard with the help of a police officer. Animal services staff told the AP that the lizard was docile. The staff was able to walk the lizard around without it hissing, snapping, or obliterating anything with its atomic breath.